houski

I love trolling big baits. Definitely not only just for fall. They're deadly in the summer too. My top 3 bigs are: Plow: they get down there with minimal line out, they're durable (I like crashing bottom with them), they hook dirty, and fish love em 14" Jake: wide wobble, especially good for late fall speeds, get the ones with the ball bearing rattles. 13" Believer Straight : nothing swims like a believer, giant belly roll and wide wobble, plus you can really get them down, they almost never hang up, and when they do, open the bail and they back out of trouble

That's awesome guys. I saw that Saturday morning. Hell of a show to boot! Lots of big girls in that one!

Steelhead...isn't that some sort of muskie bait?

Hey guys, I fished Pigeon on Sunday as well. We didn't do as well as I had hoped, but we managed two fish. Both came on pounders, and both came from about 25 fow, and right off bottom. After a 4 fish day on G Bay, on Saturday, I was really thinking we were gonna get em on Sunday, but the weather didn't cooperate.

I've been out the past 2 weekends on the Kawartha's here. Multiple fish days everyday, including a 48.5", 46", 45", and one that I didn't measure that I would guess was around 45" as well. I've been doing alright fishing deep stuff (15fow+). Look for areas where the bait is stacked and stick with it. The feeding windows have been short, but the action is hot when they do feed.

That's sweet! I've got some good-sized 'skis from in and around docks. One of my biggest Kawartha 'skis came off of a dock. Just for the record though, no muskie has ever posessed a dorsal fin.

Nice fish man. I like flouro leaders too. I tie my own, and they work great. But they're not 100% bite proof. More than likely, there was a weak spot in your leader. I'd say the hold is fine. The main idea is to support the fish along the length of it (the same way it's weight is supported in the water). So whether you hold gill plate and belly, or tail and belly is really a personal choice.

That's sweet fellas! Balsam does have a little of everything. The pike are running wild out there!

I found it slow last weekend too. We had 6 follows, and one taker, on the troll (small 37"ish). The fish seemed to be deeper than usual last weekend on the Kawartha's. We raised fish out of 15 fow+, but they wouldn't eat. A few dandies too. I got out solo last night for a couple hours on Balsam. Only saw one fish, but it ended up in the net. Got her on twin 10's over wind pounded rocks in 5 fow. Let's hope G Bay opener next week provides good weather, and cooperative 'skis!

That's sweet man. First fish has got some nice girth to her! Can't wait for muskie season to open here. At least the May pike tourneys take the edge off!

Zero walleyes and 5 + muskies

Those Lake O fish sure are nice looking! Very distinct patterning.

I've been out to Balsam a few times. Here's my best so far this spring. A 33", not big, but not bad for the Kawartha's.

Hey guys, I've got a G3 162 with a 4Stroke 90 on it. I really like the boat. It's nicely trimmed out, and overall well made. It does sit a bit higher out of the water than a lot of other aluminums. I'd liken it more to an Alumacraft hull design, than an older Lund. It does feel a bit like you're driving a bathtub (hence the Alumacraft reference). When I originally got it, it did seem to push a lot of water when it was on plane. I lifted the motor up an inch, and that problem was gone. Now, with a 17p stainless it pops right up on plane in a hurry, and the bow is sufficently out of the water. Doesn't push a whole lot of water, and handles the rough stuff very well for a 16.5' boat. Top speed with two guys, and more muskie gear than you could shake a stick at is 34mph on the gps. With two guys, and no gear she does 37mph. I'm going to swap the prop out for a 19p stainless this year. I got the 17p as I was worried about getting it on plane in a hurry in rough water, which I now know isn't a problem. A few things I don't like about the boat. -Rod lockers. Mine has a side locker, which originally had a divider for 4 rods, up to 7'. No good for a muskie guy. I took the sawzall to the divider as soon as I got it home. I now have a side rod locker that holds 8.5' rods, and I can pile 12-14 in there. -Livewells. It's got two, which is nice. But they're not very big. Both are 30 and 31" long. Great for bass, or walleye guys. However, I fish a lot of pike tournies in the spring. I'm not too sure how this is going to play out. I'm thinking that I may have to do some extra running, as keeping a 40"+ alive in one of those all day might be unreasonable. The aft livewell is kind of 'L' shaped, so it's prolly 36-38" on the diagonal. Other than that, it's a great boat for the money. I'd take a Lund over it for sure, only if there was a Yammi 4Stroke on the back of it though!

A Garmin 145 came on my G3 when I bought it last year. It's a great graph for the money really. Reads nicely at speed (although this depends more on placement/hull design than anything else), actually marks fish, and very simple to use. I still have it as a back up graph on my boat, and it won't be coming off until I get another HDS.

Agreed! When you're flipping and pitching, you want a fast retrieve ratio on your reel, and a big stick! The rod does the work, and the quick reel eats up the line.

Nice work man. Sounds like you're a lifer now! It's not so bad...there are just very few people who understand! Nice to see that you invested in proper gear too! Espesially landing/release gear. Good luck with the rest of the season.

Hey guys, Lots of great baits in everybody's top 5. It's interesting to see how some lures seem to turn up in top 5 lists more than others, for no apparent reason I'm sure...lol. Here's mine. Double 10 inline Jake (10" for twitchin, and 14" for trolling) Sledge Dunwright Dancer Jimmy I usually go obnoxious on my spinners and twitch baits, and natural on jerks (all things considered).

I agree. Xraps are awesome, but they def. aren't the toughest bait out there. Same thing can be said for Husky Jerks. Great baits, but some of em are garbage right out of the box, some of them are done after a fish or two. Then however, you seem to get that magic bait, that keeps putting fish after fish in the boat, no worse for wear.

I've been waiting for June 4th, 2011, since December 16, 2010! Can't wait to smell like pennies again! I'll be out somewhere in the Kawartha's next weekend for sure. Not too sure where yet though, I'm gonna have to talk it over with my fishing partner. Good luck Ladies and Gents!

For walleye I'd go with a Legend Tourney, or Elite 6'3'' M XF (spinning) for vertical jigging, a 6'6' M F for jerkbaits (spinning) and a 7' Legend Tourney MHM (casting) for bottom bouncers/deep cranks. As for spinning reels anything that will hold about 130 yards of 8 lb. should be fine (2000 size for Abu, and 2500 for Shimano). For baitcasters, I prefer something that's not blazing fast 5.1-5.4 ish is pretty sweet for cranks I think.

Unfortunately, there is still lots of ice on both Cameron, and Sturgeon.

Thanks man!

Hey Mike, let me know if that is indeed the case! With spring pike just around the corner, I could sure stock up!